The Tadpole Project

My youngest sister came for her final pre-college visit a week or so ago.  

One morning we packed a picnic lunch and headed out to Pillsbury Crossing with the goal to snag some tadpoles.

I had heard they were swarming in the waters there, but I was honestly cynical that they weren't just minnows.  

I really thought tadpoles hatched in the Spring.  

Maybe they do, but they obviously hatch in the Fall as well because the little slimy things in the water were definitely tadpoles.

Caleb loved being the water from the get-go.

Hannah was much more hesitant, but eventually went for it.

 It didn't take long for them both to be wet and nearly naked.

But, let's face it.  If you know Hannah, you know that she loves any excuse to go without clothes.  

 I loved being out there and getting dirty.  

It tapped into my country girl roots.

 It was really hard to help catch tadpoles, keep an eye on the kids, and take any decent photos of the process.

But here, you get a glimpse of how we caught them.

Since I was cynical about finding any tadpoles, we were ill-prepared.

I had packed a tupperware container...that's it.

So, we rummaged up a grocery sack and used sticks to chase them in the right direction.  

It was quite a sight.

 And here they are.

We caught six and shared two with friends.

Sadly, those two have already died.  ;)

Can you see ours in the bottom of the bucket there?

 We've been changing their water every few days and feeding them a diet of steamed spinach and romaine.

The kids love them.

Caleb has to go check on them every. single. time. we come and go from the garage.

And then he waves good bye to them.

I hope they sprout legs soon.

While I love the real-life learning opportunity, I'll be excited to see progress and to have confirmation that the day we set them free as little toads is just around the corner.